Eavesdropping and How the Preparation Is Going

Dominic Zhai saw Serena Feng looking troubled and weighed down, knowing she's been under a lot of stress lately. Feeling a bit sorry for her, he picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of tea.

"Alright, just leave Felix Fuller's situation alone for now. Him being locked up in the Capital Prefecture Prison might actually be a good thing. Sure, someone might use him against Prince Nolan, but I trust Felix won't let that happen at a time like this—he'd be throwing away everything he's worked for if he did.

In the Capital Prefecture Prison, even if he wanted to stir up trouble, he couldn't. Plus, it gives us a chance to see who's really backing Felix, whether someone will try to get him out, or if Felix himself has the skills to break out on his own."

Admittedly, it's a bit sneaky to do things this way, but you have to admit it's a smart move. It's not like we're trying to get Felix killed. Serena Feng didn't say any more—she decided to put the whole Felix issue aside for now.

Dominic Zhai drained his cup of tea in one go, quenched his thirst, and continued, "So, what was up with your carriage running into Duke Zhen's? I heard about it and rushed over, but by the time I got there, everyone had already left. It seems someone cleaned up the scene afterwards. I sent people to ask around, and everyone blamed Duke Zhen for what happened."

Dominic had originally rushed over because of the Duke Zhen incident, planning to protect Serena Feng, but something delayed him. By the time he arrived, he just happened to run into Serena and Felix Fuller, which ended up solving a problem for her anyway.

"Just a minor scrape. Victor Yun, the eldest son of the Yun family, handled it for me. With his skills, I knew I'd be fine." If even Dominic Zhai couldn't dig up more details, it meant Victor Yun had already smoothed everything over—this time, Duke Zhen could only accept his bad luck.

Money really does make things easier—just imagine how much silver it takes to grease that many palms. Compared to her reputation as a fake spendthrift, Victor Yun is the real master of burning through cash.

Of course, this also meant she now owed Victor Yun a favor.

"As long as Victor Yun took care of it, that's enough. You should still be careful, though—too many people have their eyes on you. If Prince Nolan isn't rescued, you might end up dragged down yourself, and then things will really get messy."

But don't let your guard down with the House of Duke Zhen. The official case might be settled, but Duke Zhen is bound to make trouble for you out of spite. Sure, his house isn't what it used to be, but a dead camel is still bigger than a horse. If he can't attack you openly, he'll come at you in secret." As for Victor Yun, Dominic Zhai didn't dislike him—actually, it's hard to dislike Victor Yun at all.

It's no wonder Dominic Zhai and Serena Feng tread so carefully, planning every step—they really have no idea what kind of big game Prince Nolan and William Warren are playing.

Word of the five mountain explosions hasn't leaked out—the Emperor is keeping things tightly under wraps. Prince Nolan hasn't had a chance to fill Serena Feng in, and William Warren doesn't dare breathe a word about it either. The fewer people know, the better. If the Emperor hasn't announced it to the world, and you find out early, people will assume you're involved.

William Warren and Prince Nolan are working their scheme in secret—even Serena Feng is kept in the dark. Blowing up the mountains was one thing, but whether the rumors will actually spread is another matter entirely.

It's a contest between them and the Emperor—who's got the better tricks? Will their rumor campaign win out, or will the Emperor's suppression hold? You won't know the real outcome until the very end.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. The House of Duke Zhen won't dare make a move for much longer. By the way, how's that thing I asked you to prepare coming along?" She wasn't just being impatient—every day Prince Nolan gets out earlier, the capital stabilizes sooner. Plus, once that thing appears, Duke Zhen will definitely lose the Emperor's favor. The Emperor will suspect he hid it for himself, especially since only Duke Zhen had prior contact with Liam Li.

"Not yet. Lately, the Emperor's given me so much work—I'm swamped!" Dominic Zhai complained, face full of misery.

He's been running ragged lately. Just today, the Emperor ordered a full city lockdown and strict checks on everyone entering the capital. Dominic Zhai doesn't know what happened, but he's still doing his job with extra caution—he doesn't want to give the Emperor any excuse to pick on him...

The thing they're preparing?

Up on the rooftop, Prince Terrence Valen's eyes flashed with excitement. He was certain this 'thing' had something to do with Prince Nolan. But just as Serena Feng mentioned it, she dropped the subject and started chatting with Dominic Zhai about random, harmless topics—driving Prince Terrence nearly mad with curiosity...